The invention relates in general to gun-launched projectiles and in particular to stabilizing fins for gun-launched projectiles.
Some gun-launched projectiles are stabilized in flight by fins. Fins come in many designs. In some designs, a fin ring is attached to the projectile body and the fins are attached to the fin ring with pins and springs. Known fin rings survive gun launch, projectile flight and projectile impact with a target.
Projectiles must have large amounts of kinetic energy to penetrate targets such as triple brick walls and double reinforced concrete. The fin rings and fins on a projectile consume a portion of the available target-penetrating kinetic energy in the process of breaking the fin ring and/or fins during target penetration by the projectile. The fin ring may also have a step up in diameter compared to the warhead body, which impedes penetration. In addition, the fins that are attached to the fin ring may have a hooking effect when they contact the target surface. Projectiles with a relatively low velocity, such as those fired from multi-target shoulder fired weapons, have less kinetic energy than higher velocity projectiles. The consumption of kinetic energy by the fin ring and fins on a low kinetic energy projectile can inhibit the complete penetration of a target.
A need exists for a fin ring that survives gun tube launch and projectile flight but fails upon target impact to enable a low velocity projectile to penetrate a target with less resistance.